Time to Make the King Cake

Believe it or not, the first month of 2016 has come and gone and tomorrow is already Mardi Gras! I am making a King Cake tonight to take to work tomorrow. I’ve posted a recipe for King Cake before, but decided to try a new one this time. I found it in the Paul Deen Celebrates! cookbook that features holiday and seasonal recipes. Here’s the same recipe from Paula’s website:

Paula Deen’s Mardi Gras King Cake

I always worry that my yeast is getting too old, but I’m not worried tonight. What started out as 1/4 cup of water and two packets’ equivalent of yeast turned into this. That’s some happy yeast…….

I used my stand mixer and dough hook instead of the wooden-spoon method. It sure saves your arm and doesn’t take as long, either. After the first rise, I rolled my dough into the two sheets, rouglhly 10 x 15 inches. I used a piece of parchment paper cut to size as a guide.

After log rolling the two pieces I twisted them together then shaped it into something that resembles a large pretzel. It was probably supposed to have a few more twists in it, but it was pretty bulky.

After the second rise, it looked like this.

Now it looks like this.

It needs to cool, but tomorrow morning I’ll mix up the frosting and sprinkle it with the traditional purple, green and gold sugar crystals. I have a plastic baby to tuck inside before I ice the cake. I have always been concerned that the baby would melt and someone would get a nasty mouth full of plastic. It’s just as much fun to sneak him in after the cake is baked. The tradition holds that whoever gets the piece with the baby has luck throughout the year. They are also supposed to bring the King Cake the next year. I will have to break my diet for a piece of this in the morning. After all, it’s Fat Tuesday!

Celebrate National ESP Day

Tomorrow is National ESP Day. In this case, that does not stand for Extra Sensory Perception. It stands for Education Support Professionals. When your kids are at school you know they spend most of their time in the classroom with their teachers, but there are so many people who work to keep our kids safe, nourished, warm and protected while they are learning. These include teacher’s aides, office staff, nurses, food services workers, custodians, maintenance workers, bus drivers, security guards, and technology specialists. Tonight at supper my husband asked me to bake a dessert to bring for the carry in meal, so I did a search through a few cookbooks and found a cake recipe in the Cake Mix Doctor’s Cookbook for Festive Cran-Orange Cake. I had all of the ingredients on hand and all of her recipes start with a box of cake mix so they are usually pretty quick and easy. I made a few changes and omitted some of the orange zest and peel for garnish that were in the original recipe.

Cran-Orange Cake

Cake
Baker’s Joy no-stick spray
1 package yellow cake mix with pudding
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with the no-stick spray and set aside. Place cake mix, , orange juice, oil, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for two to three more minutes. Add the cranberries and beat on low speed just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden brown an pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate and cool for about 20 to 30 minutes. To prepare the glaze, whisk the orange juice and confectioners’ sugar together in a small bowl until satiny smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Store in a sealed cake container or covered at room temperature for up to a week.

The cookie jars at work are empty, so while the oven was hot I put a batch of cookies together. Here is a link to one of Paula Deen’s recipes:
Meemaw’s Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies

I am not quite ready for Christmas cookies, so I did not dip them in white chocolate or sprinkle them with crushed peppermints. The crunchy rice cereal and toffee bits make these nice and crunchy. It also makes a LARGE batch. There are so many that they may fill both of my cookie jars!

Fairytale Food

This week the Goshen Theatre Project will perform its first show: Shrek The Musical.

What does that have to do with food? My husband is one of the founding board members for this group and has asked me to prepare the treats to serve to our donors who will be attending a reception and preview show on Thursday evening. The theme is foods mentioned in the show. Luckily, there are several sweet treats in the dialogue to choose from including parfaits, S’mores (of a sort), muffins, gingerbread cookies, and mice – chocolate-covered cherry mice, that is. I’m also going to make a castle to represent Lord Farquaad’s Castle set in the idyllic kingdom of DuLoc. I have the novelty pan and we can fly some of Farquaad’s banners from the towers in keeping with the theme. Everything is intended to be edible. First the cake:

Vanilla Sandcastle Cake

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 2/3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk
For the glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Grease and flour a sandcastle Bundt pan; tap out excess flour.

To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla just until incorporated, about 1 minute.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are higher than the center. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, water and lemon juice and heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Tap the cake pan gently on a work surface to loosen the cake. Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the warm cake with the glaze. Let the cake cool completely, at least 2 hours, before serving. Serves 16.

I left work early today so that I could come home and finish preparing the desserts. I made parfaits first. Kevin found a recipe on line that represents Fall so this one worked. I scaled the recipes down for mini portions rather than full-size desserts.

Caramel Apple Parfaits

We arrived at the theater and set up a buffet table. Only one parfait was lost in transportation. We put food quotes from the show in small frames near the desserts for a tie in to the script.

I made some Angel Food/Strawberry/Vanilla Pudding Parfaits using instant pudding, a pre-made angel food cake, frozen halved strawberries and canned whipped cream. I cubed the angel food cake and thawed the strawberries then layered them alternately in 5-oz. disposable flat-bottomed wine cups. We found some mini tasting spoons as Gordon Food Service (GFS) and those worked very nicely for these smaller-portioned cups.

I made cut-out sugar cookies, but wouldn’t ever use the recipe again because the dough was too soft even after refrigeration so I won’t share it here. It was a real struggle to get the detailed extremities transferred to the cookie sheets in one piece. I made Chocolate Covered Cherry Mice that come out every year for our Open House and found a couple of new recipes for Gingerbread Men and Pumpkin Nut Muffins.

Martha Stewart’s Gingerbread Cookies

Holiday Pumpkin Nut Muffins

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground giner
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
23/ cups roasted, salted pepitas ( pumpkin seeds), divided
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 48 mini-muffin cups with paper liners. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a large bowl. Stir pumpkin, milk, eggs, and melted butter in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture. Mix until all ingredients are just moistened. Stir in 1/3 cup pepitas and the raisins. Spoon into the prepared muffing tins, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle remaining pepitas over the muffin tops evenly. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

The S’Mores brownies were a secret recipe – Hershey’s S’Mores Brownie Mix. Sometimes in the interest of saving time, it’s ok with me to use a box mix when it is good quality and looks as good or better than what I might make from scratch.

The cast did a great job and they finished off most of the food that was left after the performance. Tomorrow night they open to the public.

Break a leg, Goshen Theatre Project!

Beautiful Berries!

Look at these beautiful blackberries!

Kevin got them at a local produce stand and they are so big, plump and juicy! I am using them for a recipe where I usually use blueberries. This cake is so versatile you can really use any kind of fruit you prefer. It’s pretty quick and easy and one dough is used for both the crust and the crumble topping. Just be sure to use cold butter (no substitutions) and don’t blend it together too thoroughly. You want it to be rough and crumbly.

Blackberry Cake

1 stick butter
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons sugar + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided use
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 pints blackberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, use a pastry cutter or two knives to mix the stick of butter, flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, egg and vanilla. Don’t use a mixer or the consistency will be too smooth. Put 1/2 of the dough in an 8 or 9-inch springform pan. Press down on the bottom with your fingers and push the dough about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan to cover the seam between the bottom and the sides. The bottom crust should be smooth. Gently put the blackberries on the bottom crust, distributing evenly. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the sugared berries. It’s okay if not all of the fruit is covered. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool until the springform pan is cool enough to handle. Release from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Cut in wedges and serve immediately. It’s great with a scoop of Vanilla Bean ice cream.! May be kept at room temperature or you can refrigerate any leftovers.

April Fool’s Day and Disaster Recovery 101

April Fools Day is a little over a day away, so over the weekend I was plotting what look-alike dessert to take to work. Last year it was my all-time-favorite Spaghetti and Meatballs Cupcakes. Here’s the link to that post:

Spaghetti and Meatballs Cupcakes

I just got the April Food Network Magazine and found my answer for this year: the Cereal-Bowl Cake.

Cereal-Bowl Cake

I thought, that can’t be that hard, can it? In fact, let’s make two and Kevin can take one to work as well. I started out following the directions. Easy enough. Prepare a box cake mix and bake it in a glass bowl. Check.

I let the cakes cool, then I began to hollow out the Strawberry cake (Kevin’s flavor request). Then I frosted the cake. Then it collapsed….DRAT!!!!!!
Turns out, the joke was on me. It’s not as easy as it looks and I was way too confident.

There I was, left with this disappointing heap of partially frosted cake, and a lot of crumbs. Not to despair, I found the perfect solution! Make cake pops. Sort of. Who needs the sticks?

I mixed the remaining frosting and crumbs together breaking up the big chunks, until it was uniform consistency throughout. Next I used a small cookie scoop and molded them into bite-sized bits. These went onto a wax-paper lined cookie sheet then into the freezer overnight.

What do you do with a couple of dozen frozen cake balls? Dip them in chocolate, of course. Tonight I melted 3 cups of semisweet chocolate chips with 1/2 bar of Gulf Wax edible paraffin in a double boiler and dipped the frozen treats one by one. They rested on another wax-paper-lined cookie sheet until they firmed up. I’m storing them in the refrigerator stacked in layers on wax paper sheets, until Kevin takes them to school on Wednesday.

So, you may ask, what happened to the other cake? Well, lesson learned from the first attempt. The second go around was fairly successful, though not nearly as pretty as the professional version in the magazine. I got it all the way to the step where the frosted cake firms up in the freezer. Upon removing it from the freezer, I was dismayed to discover that It had suffered a fissure, much like the Liberty Bell. Never one to give up, I spackled it back together with the aid of some more frosting mortar reinforced with reserved cake crumbs and secured this plaster job with bamboo skewers. I finished it off by filling the concave side with softened Bobby’s Frozen Custard and “floated” some Froot Loops on top. It’s back in the freezer, standing solid until I take it to work. I’ll remove the skewers and garnish with a large serving spoon, then we’ll dig in. I don’t think anyone will mind its scars. It will taste just a good as if it hadn’t cracked. All in good fun!

Happy April Fool’s Day!

Dinner for Guests We’ve Never Met

A few weeks ago Kevin was contacted by a out-of-state distant relative who found his name in an old newspaper obituary of his aunt. She has researched the genealogy on his paternal Grandma’s side of the family and wanted to share what she’s found and learn what we know of the family that settled in this area. She and her husband were going to be in St. Louis this week so we invited them over to dinner. I started out baking dessert and bread. ironically, I found a recipe in an Italian cookbook for French bread that looked quick and easy (for homemade bread). I made the dough in the bread machine then shaped the loaf and put it in the oven to rise.

Bread Machine Best Classic Bread
Credited to John Bianchi – in his words it’s “outstanding”.

In this order, for a two-pound loaf, add to the bucket of your bread machine:

1 1/4 cups water
3 1/2 cups bread flour -use King Arthur if you can get it in your area
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. active dry yeast

Pour water into the bread machine pan. Add ingredients in the order listed with the yeast being last. Select the setting on your bread machine and set for 2-lb. loaf. Start machine or set delayed timer. This recipe works well on delayed timer. As another option, use the dough cycle. When complete, oil a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of coarse cornmeal. On a lightly floured surface, shape into a long loaf and transfer to the baking sheet. Slash several times at an angle with a baker’s lame knife or a very sharp knife. Cover with a clean cotton towel and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when thumped. Serve warm with butter or olive oil and dipping spices.

This bread is awesome! It was so easy, too. The texture is light and the crust is not too rustic. It was good with a little butter with our meal and I think it will also make great sandwiches.

I made a small antipasto platter, Caesar Salad, and a Sicilian Meat Roll (recipes all available in the archives). For dessert I made a Cannoli Cake from the Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook. Here’s a link to the recipe:

Cake Mix Doctor Cannoli Cake

I found a pretty cake plate and started layering. It seemed like there was way to much filling, but in the end I used it all. I put wide strips of wax paper just under the bottom layer of the cake to keep the plate clean and pulled them out before I refrigerated the cake.

The ganache sounds very French, elegant and difficult, but in fact it’s really simple and tastes great. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 1/4 cups) instead of chocolate chunks. These also melt very easily. I poured the hot cream over the chips and went from this:

To this, in just a couple of minutes of whisking:

I poured it on the top layer of the cake and used a gravy ladle to swirl, beginning at the center and moving in a clockwise circle, gently moving the warm ganache to the edges where it slowly oozed like molten lava and proceeded to slide down the sides. I used an offset spatula to fill in the cracks and smooth the surface. The finished product looked nearly professional:

Everyone enjoyed the meal, accompanied by a good glass of wine. We talked late into the evening and will be keeping in touch.

Mardi Gras King Cake

I hadn’t heard of King Cake until just a few years ago. A trip to New Orleans piqued my interest in this gigantic event and the traditions surrounding it. Although I’ve never been to Mardi Gras, a bit of it lingers all year round in the Crescent City. Everywhere you go, the purple, green and yellow colors are present. The colors date back to 1872 when Russian Grand Duke Alexis Alexis Alexandrovich Romanov made a trip to New Orleans as a goodwill ambassador. These happened to be the house colors of the visiting noble. Purple represents Justice, green represents Faith and gold represents power. I found this recipe online, which makes two cakes. This is not a crumb-type cake, it is a yeast -raised cake with a buttery cinnamon swirl filling.

Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake

I used my usual trick and turned the oven to its lowest setting then turned the oven off as soon as the beeper indicated it had reached the temperature setting. I just bought some new yeast so I was assured of a good rise. I started the dough out in the stand mixer and the bubbling action was a good indicator of some very active yeast.

I added the flour and mixed until the dough pulled away from the sides of the bowl. I oiled a large glass bowl and transferred the dough to it. I threw a clean flour sack towel over the top and put it in my oven to rise.

An hour later I checked it and the yeast had done its job!

I divided the dough in half and plopped it out on the lightly floured countertop.

I used my French rolling pin (of course, it’s Mardi Gras!) to roll each piece of dough out into a rectangle then, using my hands, I schmeared it with butter and sprinkled the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top.

The trickiest part was rolling it up and shaping it into an oval. I wasn’t happy with how the ends joined and when I bake this again, I’ll pay more particular attention to moistening the dough to get it to seal more securely.

I let them rise again then baked them until they were a light golden brown. I cooled them completely overnight and made the glaze when I got home from work tonight. I had to hunt for the glaze recipe because it didn’t seem to be included, but if you click on the red Creamy Glaze title, it will take you to the recipe. I had the colored sugars on hand and decorated liberally. These cakes are on their way to our prospective places of employment tomorrow, although Kevin is hoping for a snow day. Several schools have already closed in our area, so I think he has a 50/50 chance of staying home. If school is closed, it will keep one more day. I did not hide a baby in the cake as the tradition goes, so no one will have to worry about breaking a tooth or accidentally eating the baby. If you were to imbed a baby, whoever finds it has to make the King Cake next year!

Valentine’s Gift

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! This is the day when you have an opportunity to do something nice for people you care about, so don’t miss your chance. The day started out on a somber note with a funeral visitation for our friend’s mother, who had been battling Multiple Sclerosis for over 20 years. He was Best Man at our wedding and was her primary care giver for all of those years with steadfast devotion, dedication and compassion. It was a long hard road, but she is at peace now. We picked up a few groceries on the way home for some baking and for a special Valentine’s dinner tonight. I put a Red Velvet Bundt cake in the oven and we just delivered it to the staff over at the Garden Court, where my mother-in-law is living now. Their eyes lit up and they even took some pictures when the foil was lifted from the plate. We appreciate the care they provide and it’s fun to give them a treat to let them know it. I used Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Bundt Cake recipe and a heart-shaped Bundt pan. The recipe is for a 12-cup pan and the heart only holds 10, so I had a little left over to make a small cake to keep.

Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Bundt Cake

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (1 oz) bottle red food coloring
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan. I used minis…makes about 12 of those.
Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down after each addition. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.

In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. Gradually add flour to the butter mixture, alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s), and bake for 50-60 minutes (30-40 for the smaller). Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan(s), and cool completely on a wire rack. Drizzle cooled cake with Cream Cheese Glaze.

Cream Cheese Glaze
(I highly suggest that you double the batch…I ended up making more)
1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tbsp milk

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until combined. Add milk, beating until smooth.

I overestimated the amount of batter I put in the smaller pan and it ran over and burned in the bottom of the oven The smell of burnt cake batter still lingers in the air even though I threw open the windows and the patio door and got the ceiling and exhaust fans whirling at high speed. That’s what Yankee Candles are for. I didn’t make the cream cheese glaze and instead opted to sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar and fill the center with fresh de-stemmed strawberries. It makes a very pretty contrast and presentation. It’s not too late to bake a cake if you haven’t made any dessert for Valentine’s Day. Just don’t put to much batter in the pan like I did!

Ravani Cake

I did a little baking for the last weekend. I wanted to make a dessert to share with friends we were staying with over the weekend. I browsed through several cookbooks and settled on an interesting recipe that looked a little challenging but intriguing, too. I found Ravani Cake flavored with Ouzo. Ouzo liqueur is favored by the Greeks for its strong anise flavor. Think liquid black licorice. I also had some nice farm-fresh eggs so the deal was sealed. This cake takes 9 eggs to make a 13 x 9-inch cake. Yes, 9 eggs. There is a bit of work to separate the eggs, whipping the whites stiff then folding them into the batter, but it was well worth the effort. The batter should be handled gently to get the best results. The baked cake is flooded with a simple syrup and when you pour the syrup onto the cake you’ll feel certain all that liquid will never be absorbed, but this cake is an absolute sponge and you will be amazed that it does not turn into a soggy unappetizing pan of goo. Try it and I think you will add it to your list of recipes to make over and over again.

Ravani Cake

Cake
9 eggs, room temperature
(this is important as the beaten whites will be fluffier)
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 ozs. liqueur (if you really hate licorice, use orange liqueur)
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar

Syrup
3 cups sugar
4 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Separate the eggs very carefully placing the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and the yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, the Ouzo and vanilla to the yolks and whisk well to blend. Sift the flour and baking powder into a separate smaller bowl. Using the mixer and a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Alternate adding the beaten egg whites and the flour to the yolk mixture, folding gently just to incorporate fully. Take you time and don’t get in a hurry. Gently pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake will rise like a soufflé above the edges of the pan but will not spill over.
While the cake is baking, make the syrup by boiling all of the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan for about 5 minutes. Allow the syrup to cool slightly. Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes, then using a very sharp knife cut the cake into diamond shapes, about 20-24 pieces. Pour the syrup evenly over the cake. This cake is good warm from the oven and I think the flavor actually improves after it sits overnight. Store covered. Does not need to be refrigerated.

Teacher Appreciation Lunch

School is drawing to a close and only a few days remain before everyone is free for the Summer. My husband asked me to make food to carry in for a lunch to show his appreciation for the help and support of his co-workers this school year. He asked for some of his favorite foods. He wanted chicken salad for dollar roll sandwiches and a Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze. We had a fair amount of Pasta Salad left from the weekend picnic. So as not to waste it, I moistened it with a little more mayonnaise and some St. Julian Red Wine vinegar and sent it along as a side dish. I thought for certain that I’d published the chicken salad recipe before, but it didn’t pop up in my search of the archives.
I first found this recipe in an English Tea book that I think my sister Julie shared with me many years ago. I modified the recipe a bit using apricots instead of peaches and made the salad for Kevin’s Aunt Wilberta for her retirement luncheon that we hosted at our house. She was affectionately known as Willie to her family and friends. She has passed away, but this salad has ever since been known as “Willie’s Chicken Salad” and I can’t help but think of her whenever I make it. She was a kind, gentle and generous soul and she is missed. This can be made using the original proportions or it can be easily multiplied to feed a crowd. I used 5 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to feed about 15 to 20 people using dollar rolls for the sandwiches.

Willie’s Chicken Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked boneless, skinless, chicken breast, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 tablespoons English walnuts, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely sliced
4 dried apricots, finely diced
2/3 cup mayonnaise (light mayo works well)
2/3 cup (1 single-serve container) apricot (or peach) yogurt- Greek yogurt is good!
salt and white pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and combine well until evenly moistened throughout. Refrigerate until serving. It’s very good on dollar rolls or can be served open-face-style on toasted canapé bread slices or crackers as an appetizer.

Sorry I didn’t take a photo of the chicken salad, but there is one to follow this recipe of the dessert.

Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole buttermilk
1 (1-ounce) bottle red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan (or spray with Baker’s Joy). In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Carefully turn cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. When cool, drizzle with the Cream Cheese glaze.

Cream Cheese Glaze

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon milk

In a small bow, beat cream cheese at low speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until combined. Add milk, beating until smooth. Transfer the glaze to a Ziplock baggie, cut a small tip off of one corner and use the baggie like a pastry bag to drizzle the glaze all over the cake Refrigerate until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers.

Kevin brought home one, single, solitary piece this evening. That’s all that was left. It is that good. Try it out and see for yourself!